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Association of American Railroads to fight higher truck weight limits
Mr. Hamberger states that railroads pay for their own maintainance. If so, then where is all the grant money coming from for tunnel clearances, untangling railroad grade crossings, intermodal yards, etc. The list goes on and on. One only needs to read this magazine every month.
Why didn’t Ed Hamberger also add that railroads also pay taxes on their propeties, part olf which, goes toward paying for the highways that the trucks, the competition, run on and damage?
The AAR should enlist the railfan community to participate in a congressional letter and email writing campaign to halt the growth in truck size and weight.
Mr BOLSEGA, railroads generally avoided public funding during the previous century, and frequently did things out of private funds based on public mandate (think of the smoke abatement legislation that lead to the Park Avenue Tunnel in NYC.)
The most recent generation of railroad management is more than happy to take public funds to advance public policy (usually jobs, directly or indirectly.) I certainly don’t begrudge them that, when other industries have been begging at the trough for years. (hell, it sometimes seems that the railroad companies had to be forced to take public money.)
Trucks should be downsized in both weight and size. Or build and maintain thier own roads like the RR’s. Run with them on US 81 and hold a vote. They already hog the roads and plug them up running side by side taking miles to pass and riding the bumper of a car if they get held up a ways. Trucks are a menace on the roads and dangerous, costly to road maintainence, polluters and the list goes on.
The trucking industry is going to end up shooting themsleves in the foot for this. The roads and bridges are going to wear out a lot quicker, and as a result, the costs for permits, license fees, and tax on a gallon of diesel will go up, affecting ALL consumers and the economy. Multiple trailers have a tendency to “fishtail”, and driving an 18-wheeler myself, there have been times I’ve come close to being creamed by doubles/triples.
Frankly, legal truck weight limits should be dheld steady until the industry manages to pay 100% of their infrastructure costs like the freight railroads.
I am writing to my congressional representives to drive
I 80 ACROSS IOWA AT NIGHT WITH NO ROOM AT THE WAY-
SIDES FULL OF 18 WHEELERS PARKED ON BOTH SIDES OF
SIDES OF THE ON & off ramps